


Barfight Bonding

by BrokenOverture



Category: The Wolf Among Us
Genre: Language, M/M, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-15
Updated: 2014-07-15
Packaged: 2018-02-08 22:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1958454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenOverture/pseuds/BrokenOverture
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After throwing the Crooked Man down the Witching Well, Bigby stops by the Trip Trap to apologize for past events. Little did he know that Grendel would be there to make things all the more difficult for him. (Bigby/Grendel)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Barfight Bonding

He couldn't believe that he had decided to come back here so soon. So soon after the ordeal with the Crooked Man had been resolved by tossing the smooth talking man into the Witching Well. He remembered the angry call outs during the trial of them wanting to kill the horrid man for his crimes against their fragile community. Voices seething, demanding blood be shed while others didn't want to kill him in fear of losing themselves to the madness that many had been lost to already. Though for some reason he remembered one of those voices seemed to be more hard hitting than the others. He remembered it clearly. 

_“Good enough for me,” Bigby said with a matter of fact tone, his eyes tethered to the Crooked Man.  
“Me too,” said Snow, her eyebrows furrowing with a look of anger. “He's guilty!” Bluebeard exclaimed with an accusing gesture. “So that's it then right?” Beast asked looking at the others confused only to be quickly followed by the Butcher who with a look of disgust replied,” Throw him down the Witching Well!” _

_“No! That's too fuckin' easy for a crook like that!”_

_He recalled cuffing the Crooked Man when he heard Grendel voice his opinion on the matter. Briefly turning his gaze to the angry man his teeth almost bared, voice wrought with hatred. And with a growl nearly rivaling Bigby he continued,_

_“He's gotta pay for what he did.”_

_That comment alone sent an unexpected shiver down Bigby's spine. He admitted to himself the idea of ripping the Crooked Man apart had crossed his mind multiple times, even back at the factory when a revolver full of silver bullets was pointed directly at him. All he wanted was to make this waste of a fable feel pain. Pain like Faith, Lily and the other girls he had held prisoner with debt felt as they waited for their death._

He wasn't surprised after it all ended that Grendel was still sharp towards him. Possibly having hated him for giving the Crooked Man what he saw as an unjust punishment. They still tossed words back and forth every few mornings at the Business Office door, glaring at each other, threatening each other but never really quite going as far as the night when Faith's head was found. Bigby would occasionally feel what he would try his hardest not to describe as guilt when the few times he brushed shoulders with Gren, the man's eyes were softer not quite as narrowed and foreboding as before. He would quickly turn away from him and quickly walk out of the Woodlands building to presumably go to the Trip Trap and drink himself into oblivion. Still those moments made Bigby wonder. 

\------------

 

Bigby sighed as he calmly but cautiously opened the door to the Trip Trap, the smell of whiskey meeting his nose. He took a few steps in surveying the bar. Holly wasn't at the bar and that made him wonder. “In the back maybe?” he wondered before pushing the thought away. He began to feel worried when he saw Gren sitting in his usual spot, empty shot glasses and a full drink in hand and his body slightly swaying his seat. Buzzed but not shitfaced. He sighed again walking over hoping Gren would notice his presence before he was forced to take a seat beside him and begin this conversation himself. Unfortunately he seemed unaware of anyone else being in the bar, too engrossed in his own thoughts. 

He took a seat next to Gren, making side glances at him before he spoke. “Gren...” He was quickly met with a familiar set of words. “Plenty of other seats in here,” Gren growled quickly downing his shot turning to glare at Bigby half-heartedly. Bigby met the gaze with the same lack of gusto the other man had and replied the same way he did that night. “But there's only one next to you.” This made Gren somewhat bare his teeth slamming the shot glass to the bar. “The fuck are you doing here Wolf? Just cause that shit with that Crooked fuck is done don't mean we're friends or nothin'.” “Gren if you'll just hear me out on this-” he was interrupted by Gren getting out of his seat staggering as he tried to gain a proper footing. “No! I don't wanna hear anymore of your bullshit! How could you just toss that bastard down the well just like that?! After what he did!” He was shouting now his face gaining a light red shade from how much force he was putting into it. Bigby growled and stood up to meet him. “He shoulda suffered... Suffered like they did!” Gren's hands balled into tight fists as he continued to scream. “And what good would that have done huh? I'm no murderer-” Bigby said trying to calm the other man down. “Not a murderer?! Like hell you're not! Everyone knows what you did back in the Homelands! Why couldn't you have acted like THAT!” With that Gren threw the first punch, connecting with Bigby's jaw with a muffled thud. Bigby staggered back in shock, growling but not fighting back. “I’ve changed Gren! We all have!” Gren took a step forward aiming another punch at Bigby which brushed past his face just barely missing. “Gren stop! I didn't come here to fight you!” Bigby shouted dodging another punch with ease. Gren threw one last punch, putting all he had into it only to have Bigby catch him by the wrist. “Get the fuck off of me!” he shouted, pulling his left arm back, aiming another punch. “Gren! I have had it!” Bigby growled as he caught Gren's other wrist easily and after spinning them around shoved him against the wall effectively trapping him. 

Bigby was curious as to why Gren didn't just revert to his normal form to escape him, but all the other man did was struggle beneath him trying to release himself. “I said get off!” he shouted, trying to mask the fact his struggling was becoming weaker. “Not until you stop.” Bigby said calmly, his eyes tinted dark yellow. They glared at each other for a moment before Gren dropped his head looking at the floor. Bigby's eyes widened slightly as he felt Gren begin to quiver under his hands. “Gren? Are you-” “I'm fucking tired Bigby...” Gren interrupted his voice gravely and quiet. “I'm tired of this bar, I'm tired of this shit-hole town, I'm tired of fighting...” Gren's voice got progressively more shaky with each word until he looked up and stared Bigby straight in the face. He looked genuinely shocked when he saw tears welling in the other man's eyes, threatening to pool over. “...I wanna go home, Bigby. I just wanna go home.” 

That's what this was all about? Bigby sighed, his grip on Gren's wrists becoming gentler. “Believe me Gren. I wan't to go home too. But we can't,” he said in a quiet tone meeting Gren's gaze. “But we can't so we'll just have to make do with what we have,” he continued trying to hide the mild quiver in his own voice. “Well what we have is complete shit,” Gren grumbled blinking the tears from his eyes. “I know that. You know me and Snow are trying to make Fabletown better for all of us. Safer. More like home.” Bigby let go of his iron grip on Gren's wrists his hands coming to gently rest on the still teary eyed man's shoulders. “Trust me when I say I'm trying my hardest here,” he said his eyes never breaking from the stare down the two were locked in. After a few seconds of this, Bigby saw Gren's lips twist into a snicker. “Well I guess it means you gotta try harder eh, Sheriff?” He couldn't help but laugh a bit in response. “Guess you're right.”

Gren sighed, moving his right arm to wipe at his eyes. “Dammit, why didja have to get me riled up like this huh? I got a reputation to uphold Wolf,” he said with a sly grin. Bigby rolled his eyes before taking notice of their situation his face involuntarily turning a dark shade of red. Gren took notice and looked confused. “The fuck's wrong with you?” he asked sharply before he felt Bigby's grip on his shoulders tighten. His eyebrows arched before he chuckled darkly. “The Big Bad Wolf really freaked out by this? Jeez you're more of a softie than I thought.” Bigby quickly took his hands off Gren before turning around to quickly light up a Huff and Puff. “I was not freaked out Gren,” he insisted taking an oddly long drag from his cigarette. It was quiet for a minute or two before Gren finally spoke up, sounding like he was trying to get straight to a point. “Look, Wolf. I dunno what the fuck that was back there but let me just say. Anyone who can get me that calm that quick, you gotta be some kind of fuckin' miracle worker or somethin'.” Bigby turned back to look at Gren who had his arms crossed tight over his chest, trying to maintain his typical burning gaze. “And I dunno where we stand now but anyone who can do what you just did, don't think I'm gonna let something that fuckin' special run off.” 

“What exactly are you implying here, Gren?” Bigby asked turning back around to face him, flicking the ashes off his cigarette as he looked at Gren questioningly. Gren let out an exasperated growl putting his right hand against his forehead. “Jeez you're oblivious... What I'm implying is that I want ya,” he said quickly, his face heating up. Bigby blinked a few times before tossing his cigarette to the ground, snuffing it out with his shoe. “So... you want us to be a thing? Is that really what I'm hearing from you?” he asked not buying it all at first, thinking of it like a joke from the other man's perspective. “I don't take shit like this lightly Wolf! I say what I fuckin' mean and I mean this!” He took a breath to try and calm himself before continuing. “After all the times I threw punches, threatened to kill you. You took the punches as they came. Hell, you could have torn my damn arm off that one night...” he said a hand reaching up to grip his right shoulder. “After all this shit... You've forgiven me.” 

Bigby could tell by the almost unnatural tone of calm in the man's voice he was serious. He brought the fearsome Grendel to a calm center. Brought him back down to earth when his thirst for violence tried to take him and put him in his place when he stepped out of line. He understood him a lot more than he did before and could see Gren for what he really was. Someone lost and angry, wanting nothing more than a familiar piece of home to grasp onto. Something familiar. To be truthful... he didn't think he would mind being that center. 

“I don't know how this will work out but, hell I'm willing to try,” Bigby said putting his hands into his pockets. He saw Gren flinch even though his facial expression refused to change. “Well good then,” he said avoiding his gaze now, obviously too flustered to maintain it. Bigby smiled and walked past Gren towards the door. But not before stopping beside Gren to tuck a loose lock of hair back into it's slicked back position, meanwhile running his fingers through his surprisingly smooth hair. He felt Gren shiver and he leaned over to whisper to Gren. “Just remember that my door is always open... Grendel.” Gren took a sharp intake of breath surprised by how Bigby's voice had dropped to a lower tone when he spoke his name. He stood frozen in place as he heard Bigby's footsteps fade outside and into the dimly lit New York streets. He had no idea what he had just gotten himself into, but he figured maybe he'd like it.


End file.
